Can you print labels directly from Excel?
Not from the workbook itself. LabelRules imports CSV, so save or export the sheet from Excel as a UTF-8 CSV first. The file keeps each job’s customer, product code, quantity, purchase order and batch, which is what a production label needs.
The importer expects the manufacturing profile’s 31 column headings, in any order. It checks the whole file before saving anything: a malformed row stops the import instead of being skipped, and importing never prints.
These are selected fields from a sample order. Every company, order and product in it is fictional, and the CSV preparation guide lists all 31 headings.
- job_reference: WO-12345
- customer_code: ACME
- product_sku: INT-00017
- product_name: Outdoor bracket
- quantity: 3
- purchase_order: PO-00981
- batch_code: B-0925
How do you keep leading zeros and dates?
Set code columns to Text before the data reaches the CSV. A product code such as 000017 that Excel has already turned into 17 cannot be rebuilt by the importer.
- Use the manufacturing headings: match your export to the manufacturing profile’s columns. LabelRules does not map arbitrary spreadsheet columns or read Excel workbooks directly.
- Keep codes as text: in Excel, open the data through Data, From Text/CSV and set the identifier columns to Text. Applying a number format afterwards does not bring lost zeros back.
- Write plain values: dates are year, month and day, such as 2026-09-24; timestamps are in UTC; quantities are whole numbers with no thousands separators.
How is the right layout chosen?
The operator scans the works order and prepares its label. Approved rules resolve the customer’s product code, the template, any decoration, the quantity and the destination. AI does not decide what prints on the job.
In the sample, the internal code INT-00017 resolves to Acme’s own code AC-00017 through a saved customer mapping. The mapping is part of the approved configuration; it is never guessed from the spreadsheet.
How do you check the label before printing?
The station shows the label proof and every copy in the run. The operator checks them, then accepts the run, which creates one recorded run of labels. The labels go to the printer through SmartFACT PrintStation, and the person at the printer still checks the physical label.
What if a row is incomplete?
A file with a missing heading or a malformed value does not import, and the importer says which row to fix. A job that imports but lacks something its label needs, such as an approved customer layout or a required customer code, is blocked at the station with the reason shown.
The operator passes it to the office to correct the data or the rule, instead of choosing a lookalike label or printing the internal code in its place.
What about address labels on A4 sheets?
For mailing labels on A4 sheets, Word’s mail merge prints straight from an Excel list. LabelRules is for production labels on a label printer: one 100 × 150 mm label per copy, with text and a Code 128 barcode, chosen by your customers’ rules.
Each imported job keeps its source, customer, destination, lines and batches together, so a rule can say which customer’s layout to use and which values must be present before a label prints.
What LabelRules does not do
- Upload .xlsx workbooks or map arbitrary spreadsheet columns; the importer reads CSV in the manufacturing profile.
- Print A4 sheet labels or mail merge address labels.
- Print GS1-128 labels, allocate SSCC numbers or run regulated label workflows.
- Print anything at import: preparing, checking and accepting the label are separate steps.
Common questions
Can you provide an Excel template for printing labels?
Use the manufacturing profile’s 31 headings, listed in the CSV preparation guide, as the first row of your sheet. Add one row per order line, keep the code columns as text and save the sheet as CSV.
Can I upload an Excel file?
Export a UTF-8 CSV from Excel first. The importer accepts CSV in the documented manufacturing profile, rather than .xlsx files.
Does any CSV file work?
No. The required headings, types and identifiers must match the profile. Check your export against the CSV preparation guide and discuss your source data with us before planning an import.
Does a CSV upload print immediately?
No. Importing records the job data. Label preparation, preview review and acceptance are separate steps. Physical printing also needs a label printer connected through SmartFACT PrintStation and checked with your label stock.
Is this a GS1 or SSCC label generator?
No. The labels use a standard Code 128 barcode. GS1-128, SSCC allocation and regulated label workflows are not part of LabelRules’ label profile.
Related pages
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